Turkey silenced 900 journos since January: Journalists’ association

The Turkish government has dismissed hundreds of journalists so far this year and blocked tens of thousands of websites since mid-2015, says an association for journalists in Turkey.

According to the report by the Press for Freedom Project (ÖiB), which is affiliated with the Turkish Journalists’ Association (TGC), at least 160 journalists were sacked in April alone, raising the number of dismissed journalists in the Anatolian country to a total of 894 since January.

Journalists shout slogans and hold placards on January 10, 2016 during a march marking Journalism Day on Istiklal Street in Istanbul as they protest against the imprisonment of journalists. (AFP)

The report also set the number of blocked websites at 104,904 since the Turkish general election in June 2015.

Moreover, a total of 33 reporters were arrested from January to April, it further said, adding that 12 journalists faced charges over “insulting” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan